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Air Corps helicopters track pigeons to prevent crashes

AIR CORPS helicopters are being used to track Irish pigeon races, amid growing concern about potentially catastrophic collisions involving the 110kph birds at Dublin airport.

There have been four incidents involving racing pigeons at the airport since 2002, two involving planes landing and two taking off. A Ryanair Boeing 737 flight to Bristol was forced to turn back and land on one engine after one incident.

Now a safety audit of pigeon race routes is being undertaken by Tom Kelly, a Cork-based consultant ornithologist with the Dublin Airport Authority.

Using an Air Corps helicopter he has monitored two races this year — one on May 7 involving 30,000 pigeons released near Youghal and an August 20 race with start releases in Fermoy, Mallow and Thurles. The birds were returning to Northern Ireland.

“The reason we are so concerned about racing pigeons is that they fly in compact flocks,” he said. “They